Noob soap question - looking to purchase my 2nd soap

At the moment, I've just got what came with my SR starter kit, which is the OSMA laboratories potassium alum shaving soap. I've got some Amazon.co.uk. vouchers going spare from Christmas so I'm considering trying some new soap. Well, I have nothing to compare the OSMA soap with except tinned shaving gel/foam, so I'm looking for recommendations for my 2nd soap. I've always found the OSMA soap to be smooth, but I wouldn't really call it luxurious. It never seems to create much of lather on top of the puck, it's all done on the brush on my face & it seems to be a little thin. I have no idea if this is normal as I've nothing to compare it with. Scent wise I like nice clean smells. If I was going to give comparisons in scents from normal alchohol aftershaves I'd say I like Davidoff coolwater, Usher, & the wife recently got me some Armarni Diamonds for men that I like. To be fair the only fragrance I can say I've actively disliked is Joop because I just find it too fruity.

I've heard good things about Mitchells Wool Fat, so that's already on my possible list.

Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap and Ceramic Bowl (120g): Amazon.co.uk: Health & Beauty

Mitchell`s Wool Fat Shaving Soap 125g & Parker Mango Wood Shaving Bowl (T1): Amazon.co.uk: Health & Beauty

Does the bowl type on the MWF make any difference? I lather straight onto the soap/face as my bathroom doesn't have room for any more paraphernalia. Just curious if it mattered in the slighest.

Tabac keeps getting mentioned in good light as well.

Tabac by Maurer & Wirtz Shaving Soap & Bowl 125g: Amazon.co.uk: Health & Beauty

Is there any other recommendations you would make, & can I expect much of a difference from the OSMA soap?

Any advice is appreciated as I'm clueless. I wish I could walk into a shop locally & at least be able to check the scent but there just isn't any I'm aware of, so it's online or nothing.

Any help is appreciated.

Give DR Harris soap a try.

The MWF bowl doesn't make
any difference it's just something
to store the soap in.


Terry

Kaden:
You'll do well with Mitchell's Wool Fat and Tabac. There is no difference in the puck that comes in the bowl or as replacement. Same soap. Other soaps you might try include: Provence Sante, Institute Karite, L'Occitane Cade, D.R. Harris soap variety, Trumper and Valobra. Eventually give Martin de Candre, Czech & Speake, and Joris a try. These last are top soaps at higher price. They are well worth the experience — eventually.

I have been using MWF, Tabc and DR Harris Arlington in puck form these last few weeks. I really don't think you could go wrong with any of the three soaps for face lathering which is how I use them. I got just the pucks and placed them in Pyrex 1 cup bowls that come with lids, works just fine.

I have never used Osama soaps but it sounds like you may be using too much water if the lather is too thin. If you have hard water that doesn't help much either. I don't know your lathering technique but here is what I do. I swirl my brush in water brush, give it a quick shake and load the soap on the brush for a minute or two and apply the soap to my face. Then I add water by dipping just the tips of the brush in the water and work up more lather on my face. Repeat as needed till I get the lather I want. Anyway just a thought to adjust your technique a bit to see if you can get a better result from the Osama soap. If your technique is off you may not get any better results from using a different soap.

Bob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BobH

I have been using MWF, Tabc and DR Harris Arlington in puck form these last few weeks. I really don't think you could go wrong with any of the three soaps for face lathering which is how I use them. I got just the pucks and placed them in Pyrex 1 cup bowls that come with lids, works just fine.

I have never used Osama soaps but it sounds like you may be using too much water if the lather is too thin. If you have hard water that doesn't help much either. I don't know your lathering technique but here is what I do. I swirl my brush in water brush, give it a quick shake and load the soap on the brush for a minute or two and apply the soap to my face. Then I add water by dipping just the tips of the brush in the water and work up more lather on my face. Repeat as needed till I get the lather I want. Anyway just a thought to adjust your technique a bit to see if you can get a better result from the Osama soap. If your technique is off you may not get any better results from using a different soap.

Bob

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I actually find the OSMA soap dry & thin. It produces a very smooth lather on your face, but it's not what I'd call thick or luxurious. Don't get me wrong, it's way better than supermarket shave foam/gel. Maybe it is the way I do it. I generally soak my brush in warm water for a while & warm the soap up by floating the bowl in the warm water & putting a bit of water in the soap bowl. Swirl the end of the brush on the soap puck for a while & then lather on face. Doesn't seem to matter how long I work the soap with the brush, not much seems to go on in the bowl. Starts lathering on my face, but either stays thin/smooth/dry, add more water & it just goes runny - I have no idea if this is normal or not. Like I said, nothing to compare it to.

I'll check out the Dr Harrison on Amazon.co.uk as I haven't looked for that one, but I may try the Mitchells, haven't quite decided yet. I did read good things about the Martin de Candre, but it's not available from Amazon (vouchers) & it's money I don't want to pay out just yet.

Thanks for the replies.

Kaden

Mitchells Wool Fat is anything but thin and dry. I get a little bit of lather when loading the brush on the puck but build it on my face.

Bob

The sky's the limit when it comes to soaps and creams. It's literally a new world for the uninitiated. I'd say go for MWF and Tabac, and once you've tried them there's many more to discover. Welcome to the wonderful world of SAD and SCAD..... :rofl2:

If you do go with MWF (which I thoroughly endorse - it's a good 'un!) take a look at this video by Mantic. Some folks have a bit of trouble with MWF when first using it. It can be tricky at first, but is well worth figuring out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGLi_m9n_s

I haven't used any of the soaps you mentioned, one because I like creams so much, but also I just don't buy a lot of soaps as they last so long. I think that's why there's not a lot of reviews here, because you'd almost need to buy a product, use it, review it it, give it away and buy another to keep a review thread going.

Anyway, I did very much like Madame Scodioli's 'Boheme' soap, and it's a natural product. I generally face lather soaps and bowl lather creams, unless I'm making an Überlather...

Mitchell's wool fat is by far one of the best soaps out there and no the bowl does not make a difference at all. just for decoration or appearance. I would honestly try Proraso for your next soap or cream. It is an amazing product and I would almost bet everyone on this forum would back me up on that. plus you wont pay over $10 for either a tub of their soap or a tube of the cream. plus they just put out a new line up of all their products....I strongly suggest you try some Proraso no matter what for your next choice. there is alot of choices out there but like I said before, probably every single person on this forum will agree that Proraso will never let you down. hope that helps,
Shayne :)

Here is another thought for you. Go to The Body Shop and ask for a sample of their Maca Root shave soap to try out. Low cost way to see if that will do for your needs.

Bob

I've added the Proraso soap to Amazon wish list along with the Dr Harris, Tabac, & MWF.

Thanks for the Body Shop recommendation, I never thought for a second they'd do anything like that. It's the place I go for stocking fillers for the wife for Christmas/Birthday. I never considered for a second they'd have anything I could use, after all, when you walk in it's all coconut, chocolate & Wild Rose body washes which aren't exactly very masculine. I couldn't find the Maca Root soap on the website, but the Maca Root cream is there so it's certainly nice that there's an actual shop I can walk into & it's a cheap easy way to try a shave cream instead of soap.

Again, thanks for the advice guys.

I love these sorts of threads :)

Basically, there are thousands to mention, but the fact that you are tied into buying from Amazon makes my asnwer quite easy. You won't do wrong by going for Tabac and MWF. Definitely have these at the top of your list, but I would suggest trying the Tabac scent in a chemist shop first (as you are in the UK, Tabac is quite easy to find!). Likewise look for MWF in a John Lewis shop under the "Kent" brand (it's the same soap, just a different label).

If you were looking for other alternatives on Amazon, the Castle Forbes range is definitely one to look into (effectively these are creams, but so hard you have to lather them like any other soap). Also worth a mention are the Geo F Trumpers range. DR Harris you've already had mentioned.

Kaden

Sorry, my bad, Maca Root is a cream but well worth a try.

Bob

You've opened my eyes a bit today. I did not know about the Kent being the same as MWF, although I have seen the Kent brand on The Invisible Edge website, & the few chemists I've been into didn't have anything good so I assumed that was the case all round. I'll have a look as I've also got some Christmas/Birthday cash I need to find a use for, but was considering it putting it towards a Norton 4K/8K (or similar) sometime in the future. I certainly didn't know I could actually find this stuff in shops I could actually visit. Good to know.

Thanks

Kaden

Just to add more possibilities you could try Tescos for Palmolive brand shave cream or stick. Either of them are good and the shave stick Palmolive Shave Stick 50G - Groceries - Tesco Groceries would give you a different experience. Personally I like shave sticks especially for travel.

Bob

All good mentions so far. I'll throw out Speick shaving stick, as I just bought one. Relatively inexpensive, lovely lather (it's a tallow based soap) and an interesting scent. Gives a great shave, an it's going to be my "got to" stick for travel now.

For the price, it's well worth a shot.

Now, Queen Charlotte Soaps Lime shaving cream is ridiculously limey and a great shave.

George F. Trumpers Sandalwood shaving soap is the definitive sandalwood scent for me, but YMMV.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BobH

Kaden

Just to add more possibilities you could try Tescos for Palmolive brand shave cream or stick. Either of them are good and the shave stick Palmolive Shave Stick 50G - Groceries - Tesco Groceries would give you a different experience. Personally I like shave sticks especially for travel.

Bob

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Yes, I second the Palmolive shave stick! Well worth having one in your wash bag just in case you need to travel at short notice.

I'll keep the Palmolive stick on my radar. I had thought about travelling, maybe purchasing a DE but our next holiday is in the UK so it's a car ride down the motorway. I can pretty much take what I want with me. Hopefully by then I can shave completely with the straight & don't need to finish off with my old Mach 3. I can tell the time is getting closer each shave I have, but I'm not there yet. Slowly slowly catchy monkey.

I asked the missus to pop into Body Shop as she works in Leeds City Centre & grab me some of the Maca Root shaving cream. I'd like to give that a try, purely out of curiosity.

I'm leaning towards MWF so far for my Amazon order, but just need to pull my finger out & find my amazon voucher & actually order it.

Did I miss it or has no one mentioned Cella yet?

The other recs are all great. You've obviously noticed an emerging theme.
MWF, Proraso, CF, Tabac

But please, don't forget the Cella. It's known for being extremely easy to lather. With little effort you'll have a very im

Did I miss it or has no one mentioned Cella yet?

The other recs are all great. You've obviously noticed an emerging theme.
MWF, Proraso, CF, Tabac, DR Harris, and those are all amazing and in my line up.

But don't forget the Cella. It's known for being extremely easy to lather. With little effort you'll have a very impressive lather.

It's an old (since 1899), simple recipie (Ingredients: Cocos Nucifera Oil, Tallow, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Aqua, Potassium Carbonate, Parfum), that's been in Italian barber shops for a years, so I'm told (never been to Italy). I would dare say it's the gold standard for Italian soft soaps (let the debate ensue:) It's also cheap.

It comes in the "red," a 150 gram red tub and in 1 kg varieties.

Cella Shaving Creme Bowl 150gr:Amazon:Health & Personal Care

Amazon.com: CELLA Shaving cream Soap - XL GIANT Size - One Kilo Box 1000GR - almond shave creme - Fills cella container 12 times !!: Health & Personal Care

Well, the wife brought home the Maca Root cream from the Body Shop yesterday & I gave it a try. For my first try with a cream it definitely produces what appears to be a more luxurious lather than the OSMA soap. Can understand why it's called cream. It's thicker/creamier(doh!) than the soap I've been using, also feels a little stickier, but it's just as good a shave as the OSMA. Still managed to nick myself a couple of times because I'm trying to push myself to do more ATG passes, I just can't seem to get a clean shave anywhere but my cheeks without finishing off with the Mach 3. It is getting more natural but no amount of good soap/cream is going to help my bad technique.

I'll keep the Cella in mind as well, but I'll have to have a look on the .co.uk Amazon when I get time. Unfortunately I don't think the vouchers are transferable between .com & co.uk.

That is a relief that you had what seems like a decent result from the Maca Root. You hate to suggest a product and have it bomb for someone. I don't know if you have seen this Shaving passes - Straight Razor Place Wiki but it might help with the ATG pass. It took me quite a while to get comfortable with doing ATG and I still don't do it from my chin to lower lip section.

Bob

I keep meaning to have a look at the Wiki & some more video's to help with my technique, but the wife takes the mick out of me so I've got to wait for her to jigger off out. She laughed her arse off when she found out I'm in a shaving forum because apparently all we do is vainly talk about our faces, & she laughed again because I had a shave yesterday evening just to try out the Maca root cream & I didn't really need one that much. It's nice to have some support & not feel self conscious about this stuff.

I just wish I was fast & witty enough to come up with a retort about her Facebook crochet group.

Believe me, YOU will have the last laugh when she turns to butter in your arms after feeling how smooth your face will be once you perfect your technique & equipment :D

Recently I'm digging the soft Italian soaps. They're easy to find in the UK. One of the UK websites (decorum and forum rules prevent me from giving them a shout-out,) sells Cella and Vitos (in the 1kg bricks), Valobra, and Omega.

As opposed to the hard English pucks, the soft Italians respond to every kind of brush and are very forgiving when it comes to lathering technique. They're easy to use, reasonably priced, and make great lather. They also make great Uberlather :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MarkinLondon

Recently I'm digging the soft Italian soaps. They're easy to find in the UK. One of the UK websites (decorum and forum rules prevent me from giving them a shout-out,) sells Cella and Vitos (in the 1kg bricks), Valobra, and Omega.

As opposed to the hard English pucks, the soft Italians respond to every kind of brush and are very forgiving when it comes to lathering technique. They're easy to use, reasonably priced, and make great lather. They also make great Uberlather :)

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I'd never got into the whole Italian soaps hoo-ha. I tried Cella in the red tub once and sold it soon after as it didn't provide a smooth a shave as I like. I would love to grab a hold of a Valobra stick from somewhere though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rum

I'd never got into the whole Italian soaps hoo-ha. I tried Cella in the red tub once and sold it soon after as it didn't provide a smooth a shave as I like. I would love to grab a hold of a Valobra stick from somewhere though.

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Breaking my heart. Do you just prefer the hard stuff? I'm trying to think about what soap I should get next...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lakechuck

Breaking my heart. Do you just prefer the hard stuff? I'm trying to think about what soap I should get next...

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I've got on well with the "hard stuff" and they treat my face quite well!

I seem to be in the minority when it comes to MWF and Tabac. Tabac I never even got to use. The smell was so offensive to me that I couldn't spread it all over my face. My head was spinning. As for MWF, I really didn't like the lather at all.....or the smell for that matter. It dried the hell out of my face. After having tried quite a few, I'm stuck on DR Harris and Castle and Forbes. Both provide me with luxurious lather that is slick, drys slowly, and leaves my skin feeling great.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OCDshaver

I seem to be in the minority when it comes to MWF and Tabac. Tabac I never even got to use. The smell was so offensive to me that I couldn't spread it all over my face. My head was spinning. As for MWF, I really didn't like the lather at all.....or the smell for that matter. It dried the hell out of my face. After having tried quite a few, I'm stuck on DR Harris and Castle and Forbes. Both provide me with luxurious lather that is slick, drys slowly, and leaves my skin feeling great.

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That's a funny thing about soaps and why I tend not to make many recommendations on that front! There are so many variables from water to brush to face/bowl/plam/scuttle lathering to skin types and sensitivities to just plain taste, it's kind of impossible to guess what may work for someone else.

You can't go wrong with Tabac or MWF (you should watch the video on MWF that is here on the forum-the video helped me learn how to make a better lather using MWF). I also use Mama Bear soap, this is handmade soap that you buy direct off of their site...